“Jordan went 6 rings. If he didn’t go hit curveballs for 2 years, he’d probably have 8” - Tim Legler believes it’s not even a debate that Michael Jordan is the GOAT
The decade-long GOAT debate between Michael Jordan and LeBron James has not produced any clear winner, but former NBA player Tim Legler believes MJ being the GOAT is a given.
It has been an unending debate since LeBron started to dominate the NBA, and fans always have points to put forward in support of their favorite. While it has come down to personal preference, some of the older players, especially those who played with/against Jordan, believe he is the greatest.
However, Isiah Thomas has, time and time again, chosen LeBron. Many have attributed that to a longstanding disagreement dating back to their Chicago Bulls-Detroit Pistons rivalry.
On The Odd Man & The Three with JJ Reddick and Tommy Alter, Legler was asked if this debate was something that happened before the LeBron era, perhaps between Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and MJ. Legler said:
(From 47:25)
"No, we didn't. Number one, it was just a complete given. I tell people all the time, I played literally from 1990 in the NBA to 2000, 90s, that's my decade. Jordan went six rings. If he didn't go hit curveballs for two years, he'd probably have eight. So, every year of my career, basically they won."
"So, for me, even back then, it was just a given. This is the greatest player of all time. Now, obviously, with all these years later, 30+ years later, people want to make that into a debate. It still isn't for me."
"I guarded him a lot. I guarded those teams a lot. I know what that looked like. For me, it was that. It was what he did as a basketball player, and he's the only guy I played against in my life that never took his foot off the gas."
To date, Jordan's mentality remains his greatest feature, no other player in NBA history has been as competitive as he was. That, to a great extent, was one of the reasons he was a successful basketball player.
Michael Jordan has a better NBA Finals record than LeBron James
One area Team Jordan has used in their argument is MJ's finals record. Jordan led the Bulls to six NBA Finals, and they won all six, never playing a Game 7.
14x NBA All-Star, 10x Scoring Champ, 6x NBA Champion, 6x NBA Finals MVP, 5x NBA MVP and 75th Anniversary Team member… Michael Jordan! #NBA75
Watch more MJ moments here: app.link.nba.com/e/75storiesmj https://t.co/ucEU7u5A9t
Meanwhile, LeBron has made ten NBA Finals appearances in his 18-year career and managed to win only four. The majority of his losses came at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, who denied him in 2015, 2017, and 2018.
Nonetheless, LeBron is one of four players who have won championships with three different franchises. The LA Lakers captain has made sure to bring a title to every city he has played in.
There is no clear parameter that can help say for certain who the GOAT is. But with LBJ and MJ in the conversation, it is a testament to how dominant they were in their respective eras and their overall impact on basketball.